By Lauren Root – Staff Writer  

At the start of the 2023-2024 school year, the BU Student Representatives Council (SRC) launched the Social Justice Learning Hub (SJLH) to increase allyship in the Bishop’s community and provide an educational outlet for those wishing to learn more about social justice. The SJLH has the goal of helping raise awareness about resources available on campus and in the Lennoxville community, as well as increasing allyship for all minority communities.  

The SJLH was formed after the BUSRC was consistently receiving feedback from students and community members asking for more inclusivity and education, to promote the idea of allyship. Many students want to learn more about diversity within their communities but can’t figure out where to start. Likewise, the SRC finds that many community members are viewed as “go-to” members for equity, diversity and inclusion even if they do not always have the answers. The creation of the Social Justice Learning Hub is designed to “relieve pressure” placed upon community members by providing students with a structured outlet for their questions and concerns.  

The Social Justice Learning Hub emphasizes allyship, defined as: “a term that is used to describe active support for the rights of a minority or marginalised group without being a member of said group.” The SJLH is centered around improving access to educational resources, which removes the standard excuse that many people use, claiming that they don’t know where to start. The resources found on their website encourage readers to take action and work towards becoming allies. The SJLH notes that simply reading the resources and viewing them doesn’t equal allyship, instead, active engagement with the text is encouraged. Allyship happens only when action is taken and changes are made.  

The section of the SJLHs website that contains the external links and resources covers many topics, hoping to answer all questions and provide exposure to issues students may be facing. The resources cover a wide range of communities, including LGBTQIA+, Indigenous, disabled, and racialised groups. 

The resources posted under these categories are varied, they contain podcasts, books, movies, videos and articles. The links posted on their website take you directly to their resources, whether that be a movie streaming platform or a podcast location. These links are aimed to make learning about different communities easy and enjoyable, providing films and books that encourage equality and explain how to better help Bishop’s communities.  

The SJLH invites people to come and visit them, or to engage with their website to begin their journey of meaningful allyship!